My son and I recently spent a couple of days in Canyonlands National Park–one in the Island in the Sky District and one in the Needles section. I like visiting Utah and Canyonlands in the winter because the skies are often clear and the crowds are thinned out and the Parks less busy. On the first evening, we took in sunset at Green River overlook and then headed to Mesa Arch to shoot some star trails. Since we were the only ones at Mesa Arch, it gave a completely different feeling than the normal sunrise time where 20 or more photographers jockey for position under the arch. On the second day, we headed to the Needles. Unlike Arches, the Needles is virtually deserted in the winter. The rangers don’t collect fees and the visitor’s center is closed. Not surprisingly, there were only a handful of cars in the park. We hiked the trail to Druid Arch through the Needles area. We got a late start and didn’t quite make it to the arch, but the hike along the trail provided some great photo ops. Much of the Druid Arch trail winds along a wash and is lined with many dead junipers. I took a bunch of photos in hopes of getting a few good ones to convert to black and white. On the way back, we were treated to golden light on the rock formations. I stopped at Pothole Point to catch the last rays of the sun on the canyon walls in the distance. The point provides just enough elevation to get above the junipers and give a clear view.
